Hiring Temporary Workers vs. Interns

A business such as a law office or seasonal tax consultant goes through a busy period where they need extra help but not permanent employees. Professional offices can take advantage of two available resources for their part-time holiday help: internships and temporary hiring. While both result in a short term increase in work capacity, the end benefits could be very different. It is worth contrasting these two directions.

An intern is someone who is studying to be a full time professional. They could be a college student or someone who recently graduated and is looking for experience, perhaps over the summer. The obvious disadvantage of hiring an intern is the lack of experience. But here are 4 advantages to hiring interns:

Reasons to Hire Interns:

1. Inexpensive

The most enticing reason is low pay. College students are looking for something to put on their resume, and they accept the work as training. Many interns accept basic positions for free, which is a big exclamation point for businesses that will plunder any resource to increase profits.

2. Recent Education

Interns might be green, but have all the textbook knowledge and intelligence necessary to complete regular office tasks. They are often familiar with the latest technology, whether it is a smart phone app or a virtual fax machine. They use these devices to communicate with their friends and sometimes just to be fashionable. They are familiar with technology to a level that baffles veterans who consider themselves to be experts.

3. Zip and Zest

Young interns often have energy and an eagerness to please. Students are trying to make a positive impression, and they want to get their feet wet. They might dig into boring work with gusto simply because they have worked been in a real business. Their enthusiasm for mundane tasks might perplex or amuse permanent office workers, but this means they are willing to do just to learn.

4. Your Competitive Future

Existing employees have a reason to fear interns. Bright minds are energetic and the future of the industry. Running through many interns might reveal exceptional young talent to tap into. An intern might become a future employee, so it is profitable to observe for excellence. Students appreciate the appraisal and might end up being a permanent solution for your business. The alternative would be to hire an established worker who will probably demand a higher salary.

Disadvantage to hiring Interns:

Lack of seriousness and seasonal availability.

Most students only want to be interns during the summer. This might work if the rush period is between June and August, but many businesses are clogged in November or February. The other thing about interns is they wish to take time to absorb the office experience and can slow down productivity with their attempts to learn about everything.

Temporary workers are at the opposite spectrum. This includes professional freelancers and retired professionals who take on temporary work for extra money.

Reason to Hire Temporary Workers:

1. Error Free Navigation

Temporary workers come from a background of experience and they know an industry very well. Freelancers have broad experience and tend to have more energy than day workers, because their bread is earned contract by contract. Retirees have the most experience under their belt and have no shortage of ideas regardless of age.

2. No Liability

Freelancers buy their own insurance and provide their own benefits. They even pay their own taxes. All the added expenses and hassles of hiring are eliminated. There is no risk beyond the contract period, and some even provide refunds to resolve dissatisfaction. They work with many different personalities and tend to be levelheaded and flexible.

3. Eternal Availability

Temporary workers include retirees and marginal workers who will take anything. This includes college graduates who lack credentials and "professionals" who otherwise failed to impress major employers. There might be no problem with these drifters other than being uncompetitive. The good news is that they can do a reasonable job for a lower salary.

4. Mentoring

Senior workers shine best when it comes to working with people. They can provide advice to both the business owner and younger workers. Older workers can sometimes be as energetic as younger workers, and they definitely can serve as teachers and role models.

Disadvantages to Hiring Temporary Workers:

The Best Come at a Premium

Freelancers also tend to be the most expensive of the temporary labor pool. They provide highly professional services at a fee that would shock any employer to pay as a standard salary. Freelancers can still be worth the price tag, because there is no need to hire them permanently. When hiring older workers, sometimes poor health adds to the cost of hiring. This includes sick days and high insurance premiums.